


Fixing What Was Broken

by Snowhusky369



Category: Rurouni Kenshin
Genre: Anything else I forgot to tag, Baby, Birth, Dead boyfriend, Dead boyfriend's unborn baby, Enemies now friends, Fighting, Other, Pain, Sadness, Samurai, Teen Pregnancy, War, getting over the past
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:21:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23757550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snowhusky369/pseuds/Snowhusky369
Summary: Akatsuki Ane has been living in the past for 10 years now. At the age of 18, she's starving to death and can't seem to find any solid ground to pull herself out of her mess. Then, she meets her old enemy: Kenshin Himura. With his help and patience, will she finally learn to let go and move on?
Relationships: Himura Kenshin/Kamiya Kaoru





	Fixing What Was Broken

**Author's Note:**

> This story is mine. If you have read this on Fanfiction.net, I assure you I wrote it there. Don't like, don't read. Though, I do appreciate any comments and kudos. Thanks guys!

_ It is snowing. How long had it been snowing? The thrill of the battle clung deep inside her soul, filling her heart with excitement and nervousness. Three years, she had been training inside her master’s underground training arena, learning to fight and kill with her bare hands as well as her weapons. Finally, she was able to put her skills to the test. Gripping her bow tightly in her small hands, she chewed lightly on her bottom lip. “Prepare yourself Yuki. They are coming now.” She looked up at the man she called her mentor and friend, blue eyes peeking out under dark auburn hair and a sky-blue headband. “I know, sensei,” she murmured, looking back across the snow to the forest below. “Understand, Yuki. If we fail this mission, we all are as good as dead. So, steady your hand and aim true.” She nodded, looking back up at him, and threw him a smile. “If I die, Yuki, I want you to know that-” He was cut off as a whizzing sound filled the air. Right before her eyes, she watched with horror as an arrow pierced his chest, taking him down immediately. “Sensei!” she cried, falling to the ground beside his body. “Sensei! Wake up!” _

~~~

She stirred from her slumber, her dull eyes opening, and she stared at the bleak wall across from her. She was sitting in the snow, surrounded by fellow homeless citizens, with her bow held tightly in her grasp, the weight familiar and soothing. Rising from her shelter, she silently walked past the small group and headed out into town to start begging again, her bow slung gently over her chest and shoulder, her arrow bag swinging on her waist.

She entered the town quietly, her head down and eyes staring at her feet. By the time she got to her favorite spot, the town was full and alive with people. Slumping down in her spot, she picked up the sign, sat down, and closed her eyes. That was how her day always went. People who felt sorry for her sad sight would drop a few coins in while others would bustle by, muttering crude or heartbreaking things about her. The day passed smoothly enough as she sat, huddled against the prickling cold of the snow, with her head down. Once the town died down, she stood up and headed to a nearby restaurant with her money, knowing that they liked her and tried to help as much as possible.

Walking in the door, she sat down at her favorite booth, keeping her head low, and waited for the waitress to come get her order. A man came up to her, the scent of alcohol heavy on his clothes and skin, and sat down across from her, crossing his arms. The girl came up to them, smiling sweetly at the two, and the man smirked, stating, “I would like to order drinks on the house for me and this lovely lady here?”

“Thank you but I have lost my appetite,” she replied, standing up quickly. “Don’t be like that, sugar. Come have a friendly drink with me.” He grabbed her wrist tightly in his grip and spun her around so that she was facing him. “Let me go,” she demanded calmly, her anger starting to rise. “I don’t take orders from you, sugar,” he replied, pulling her up and pressing his lips against hers tightly. Panicking, she drew out her bow and slammed the wooden staff part into the side of his head, pulling him off of her.

“I asked politely. I’m going to say it again. Let me go.” Lifting her head up, she glared at the man, her heterochromia eyes bright with fury and anger. The man stood up, holding his now bleeding temple, and growled as he picked up a bottle from the ground. “You’re gonna regret that,” he snarled, breaking the bottle in half on a nearby table. “I’m gonna teach you to learn to respect your higher ups and to behave in public, pretty girl.”

Akatsuki Ane pulled out her bow once again and reached into her arrow bag, ready to retort, when a man stepped in between them, his long hair falling down around his waist in a low ponytail. “I would advise you to leave this one alone,” he murmured, calmly, his hand resting on the hilt of his katana. “Move outta the way,” the drunk man growled, ready to rage. “I would suggest you sit down before you anger this one,” the other man replied. Slowly, he started to pull out his blade and the man’s face paled. “Whatever,” he grunted, setting the broken bottle down. “She isn’t worth a penny anyway.” He lumbered over to his table and plopped down, taking another swig of his bottle, and the man turned back to her.

“Are you alright?” he asked, giving her a smile, and her eyes landed on the cross-shaped scar on his cheek. “Battousai?” she gasped, the bow slipping from her grasp to land on the floor beside her. Fear plucked at her heart and her breathing grew quick and erratic. Suddenly, she was back in the war, facing her opponent.

_ “You will pay, Battousai. You took everything dear to me,” the young girl spat, her blade drawn and pointed towards the red-headed man. He pulled his own katana out, his golden amber gaze blazing with the thrill of battle, blood belonging to dead soldiers dripping from his face. “I will not allow you to live, you monster!” Rushing forward, her eyes bright with unbridled rage, she took the first swing, their blades clashing. “Die Battousai!” Their blades kept meeting and she couldn’t help but look at his face to see contempt, pride, and…. Enjoyment? He was enjoying this battle. Anger burned in her veins along with adrenaline and her strikes came down quick and sharp but he was able to fend off each blow. He turned, his face changing, and he pulled up his blade only to lower it. What? Pain welled up in her face and she screamed, dropping her blade, as her hands came up to her gushing temple. Struggling to clear her eyes of the blood, she stared up at the mankiller as cold fear took over where fury was. “Now. To make sure you are never an opponent of mine again,” he growled. He raised his katana into the air and swung it, cutting her shoulder deeply but now off. “You should feel grateful for this, Hitokiri Yuki. I have spared your life, something that I rarely do,” he threw over his shoulder as he disappeared into the forest, leaving the girl gushing in the grass, tears falling from her eyes and mixing in with the scarlet blood. _

“Breathe, young one,” a voice murmured as hands massaged her shoulders and pressed against her chest. “Breathe.” Opening her eyes, she found herself laying on the ground in the restaurant, her head resting in the lap of a young woman. Red hair caught her attention and she stared at the man for a second as recognition slipped into her heart. Fear chilled her heart, making it cold and heavy, and she cried out, springing up. “S-stay away from me!” she cried, tripping over a chair and falling on her butt.

“It is okay, child,” Battousai stated calmly, his hands held up in front of her. “I will not harm you.” “You already did,” she cried back, her arms shaking wildly from underneath her. “Kenshin, what is she talking about?” the woman asked, looking up at the man. “What am I talking about? He’s the reason I cannot see out of one of my eyes. He’s the reason I cannot aim my arrows straight anymore. He’s the reason I am what I am!” “Kenshin?” “Aye, that is true. It happened during the Bakumatsu war. She was my opponent and I did what I could to disable her.”

“You took everything from me, Battousai. I was just a  _ child _ and you took away my home, my family, and left me on a bloody battlefield by myself, injured and unable to protect myself. You told me I should feel grateful for what you did. Every day since then, I tried to recover, tried to adjust, and look at me now. I live among the homeless and the broken.” Tears began to fall down her face as she wrapped her arms around her knees, her eyes on the ground. “I wish you had killed me, then, Battousai. It would have been easier than living the way I have.”

“I have thought about you a lot, Hitokiri Yuki,” Battousai murmured, his eyes growing sad and dull. “I have wondered constantly what happened to the manslaying child I had faced all those years ago. Wondering if she was okay or if she had perished because I had chosen to walk away.” Battousai fell to his knees and bowed lowly to her. “Please, I wish that you forgive me. I understand it may not be an easy task to do but much has happened to this one and this one has changed quite a bit.”

Hesitating, Ane looked the man up and down in front of her. Indeed, he had changed quite a bit since the war. He looked softer, fuller, and  _ happy _ . His once golden eyes were a soft shade of violet and they seemed to tell her just how much suffering they had gone through since the war.

“I-” she started before looking down at her hands. A hand appeared in front of her vision and she looked up to see the man standing over her, offering her a hand up. He smiled, a genuine smile, and she reached out slowly before grasping his hand, allowing him to pull her to her feet. “I still don’t trust you, Battousai,” she murmured, grabbing her bow up and slinging it over her shoulder. “Kenshin.” “What?” “This one goes by Kenshin now. Hitokiri Battousai exists no more. This is a time of peace, not war.”

She nodded, processing this bit of information, and Kenshin spoke up. “What about you, Hitokiri Yuki? What do you go by now in this age?” “Akatsuki Ane, Battou- I mean, Kenshin. I go by Akatsuki Ane.” “Shall we start over then, Ane?” “I-I will try,” she replied, her gaze falling to her feet once again. “Would you like to come stay with us, then, Ane?” “What?” Her gaze snapped up to the man in front of her. “I took away your home during the war. Now, I wish to offer you a home so that you do not have to sleep on the ground and scrounge around for food.”

Tears sprang to her already wet eyes and Ane swiped a hand across her face, giving him a small smile. “Thank you, Kenshin.”


End file.
